How do you let go when your baby gets hurt?
 

Against my better judgement I headed over to a coffee shop on my cross rig to get a cappucino because I w as falling asleep while working this afternoon. Some clueless _#(%@#(_% goes out of her way to lock right next to me on the rack. I think she scratched my front rim (Mavic CXP22) and my left pedal, a Candy SL, but I can't prove it. She locked in so tight I had to pull her out of line so I could unlock and leave. I hate it when people don't respect your property. She was riding an $80 Walmart special, where it is pretty obvious that my ride (03 Cdale cross disc) is not. I would've ridden my campus bike but I just sold it to pay for a singlespeed build that will be ready next week.

The other instance was about 5 days ago when someone kicked a soccerball down the hall of my dorm. We have a clear rule against ball in the hall that's been gone over several times, but no one respects it. The ball, of course, bounces into my room and knocks over my cross rig into a nice big piece of solid oak and a metal door handle that puts a nice scratch in. Thanks, a-hole.

How do I let go? I've scratched my bike myself, but it's even worse when someone else does it and its out of your control. I'm trying to exhale and let go - hell, it's a cross bike, its going to see abuse - but I can't. How do you relax about it? I work so hard for my toys that they become a part of me, and a tiny part of me dies each time I see my baby hurt.

It helps build character.

I can only hope that you're not serious.

I'm insured.

Ride a steel mtb. Dent the damn thing over and over.

I stripped my paint off, now I don't give a damn about scratches.

If you ride a bike lots, it will get smacked, dented, parts will break.

I put money into my RIDE, not my 'aesthetic' decorative neurosis.

Get some touch up paint, sand the scratch off if on the pad\ brake part of the rim.

If your frame is Alu, scratches don't really matter, steel they have to be covered to stop rust.

I don't have a cute new ride so I'm a loser anyway.

Looks like you need to pickup a beater bike. No sane person would lock an expensive bike anywhere.

I gotta agree with beerman. You are whining about scratches on your cross bike. That's the cost of doing buisness.

suck-it-up

What's done is done. Move on.

Wrap your tires and rims in plastic wrap before you ride-helps protect them from reality.

Place your bike in your bed before hoping in yourself, lay on top of it... protect it, love it... all night long baby. :o

Take your bike back home to your folks house, seal it in the basement but take a good photo before doing so...

Back at school, anytime you need to go somewhere, place the photo in between the cheeks of your buttocks*, bend your knees slightly and pretend to pedal with your legs as you move from one place to another on campus.

Your bike will remain safe and precious forever.

**Replace photo as needed or get the photo laminated professionally first**

Carry a crowbar with you everywhere you go. When someone scratches up your bike, you put a nice dent in the side of thier head. Problem solved.

someone call the whaambulance!

stickers man, get some nice stickers and cover those scratches up!

atleast thats what I do with my mountain bike, it's now a billboard for about 50 different companies:D

take that thing out of the butt. it seems to be pretty big.

sd

10 years from now you'll be the pathetic clown who parks his car across two spots in the lot. You'll also be going prematurely bald.

I don't want to be nasty about this, but you need to get a grip dude. If that's all you have to gripe about then you are a very lucky person. You might really love your bike but it's only an object. Something you are supposed to possess, not let it possess you.

Guys, give the guy a break, I think he was just venting...
And if not, maybe he's got a Merton-type personality, let's hope his cateye blinker comes with the right rubber shims. :eek:

get one bike for looking at, one bike for riding.

then get another bike. just because.

Electra has the cure. They sell a beach cruiser that they "beat up" at the factory so that it arrives looking forty years old. That way, you can have something like a 1955 Schwinn cruiser in perfect operating condition that looks so ugly that people won't park their shiny Cannondales anywhere near it.

The more scratches you get on your bike the less it will hurt, kind of a catch 22.

where is Merton anyway, haven't seen any of his.....rather unique posts for awhile.

Add a few more properly placed scratches and call it art.

I like the scratches on my bikes. They help me identify them. I consider the bike hurt when it has something that affects the ride...

Wrap the bike in innertubes, then BET. Then put foam pipe covers on, then another round of innertubes and BET. It will be safe, and it won't hurt as much if you wrack yourself on the top tube.

Dude, don't antagonize or encourage.... ;)

He's probably preparing for finals anyway.

Koffee

Guys relax. I bet he just prefers to cause the damage himself. I know I love each dent and scratch on my dh bike but the minute I get one because of dumb people I freak.